There is debate about whether an MVP award can go to a player that did not participate in the playoffs (i.e. Jose Bautista) or whether it can go to a pitcher who dominated, but only played one fifth of the season (i.e. Justin Verlander).

Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston Red Sox)

Jacoby Ellsbury destroyed the Green Monster in the second half. He was widely considered the Boston Red Sox's best performer of the season.

He led the majors in home runs (21) after the All-Star break. He was also in the Top 3 of the majors in RBI, hits and runs (post All-Star break).

Along with his offensive outburst this year, Ellsbury has always been a stellar defensive outfielder. That should earn him a couple of first-place votes, but will fans have a heart for a player who just played well in the second half?

Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers)

Miguel Cabrera was so close to earning the his first AL MVP award last year, but he lost to the Texas Ranger's Josh Hamilton.

This year, he is up for the award again with another solid season. And this year, he led the league in on-base percentage, batting average and doubles.

Cabrera was also a solid contributor to the Tigers making the postseason, and he was similar to Jose Bautista in contributing offensively, but I think Cabrera will come up short again in the voting with Verlander (his teammate) also getting consideration.

Robinson Cano (New York Yankees)

Widely considered the best offensive second baseman in the league, Robinson Cano was a powerhouse, especially in the second half of the season.

He led the majors in RBI (in the second half) and was second only to Jacoby Ellsbury in extra-base hits. However, his performance was overshadowed by Curtis Granderson's breakout year.

Despite a decent season overall, Cano didn't lead or even come close to leading any of the major categories taken into consideration for the AL MVP, so Cano shouldn't end up with the prestigious award this year.